Nehova, Uutoni at loggerheads over development money

SWAPO Party co-ordinator in the Oshana Region Erastus Uutoni has called upon the former Councillor of Ongwediva Constituency, Kandi Nehova, who is now a leader of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), to hand over all the money collected for building a constituency office.

According to Uutoni, Nehova started raising funds for the project in 1995 and an account was opened at the First National Bank in Oshakati. Uutoni claims that Nehova did not hand over the account or any documents on the project to the new councillor, Thikameni Ekandjo.”We do not know what happened to our money and other documents.Nehova just left the old constituency office in the air,” Uutoni told The Namibian.He said to his knowledge, the Ongwediva Constituency Development Fund stood at N$88 088 in October 2004, but when they made an inquiry in January 2005, they found that the balance was only N$64.The last time they checked the account was in April 2005, when the balance was up again to N$1 901.Since then, Uutoni said, the account has “disappeared”.Nehova told The Namibian that the money was used to build eight pre-schools in the Ongwediva constituency, which Ekandjo and Uutoni are now claiming to have been built by Government.According to Nehova, the Ongwediva Constituency Development Committee decided to use the money for kindergartens after Government decided in 2004 to build constituency offices with State money.”We have built pre-schools at Omupanda, Okadila, Elyambala, Omangela, Okandon gwena, Onaayamba, Ondiikela and Omatunda,” Nehova said.With the remaining money, the committee bought building materials for the construction of a pre-school at Oshiko and for a Police station at Opoto, before closing the FNB account in 2005, Nehova said.”By the way, I am not recognising them as lawful leaders, because they were not elected by the people of Ongwediva Constituency, but have put themselves in power by force, and according to the law, they have no right to claim that they are legitimate elected leaders in that constituency, and therefore have no right to ask the money and the documents of Ongwediva constituency,” Nehova said.Uutoni claims that Nehova did not hand over the account or any documents on the project to the new councillor, Thikameni Ekandjo.”We do not know what happened to our money and other documents.Nehova just left the old constituency office in the air,” Uutoni told The Namibian.He said to his knowledge, the Ongwediva Constituency Development Fund stood at N$88 088 in October 2004, but when they made an inquiry in January 2005, they found that the balance was only N$64.The last time they checked the account was in April 2005, when the balance was up again to N$1 901.Since then, Uutoni said, the account has “disappeared”.Nehova told The Namibian that the money was used to build eight pre-schools in the Ongwediva constituency, which Ekandjo and Uutoni are now claiming to have been built by Government.According to Nehova, the Ongwediva Constituency Development Committee decided to use the money for kindergartens after Government decided in 2004 to build constituency offices with State money.”We have built pre-schools at Omupanda, Okadila, Elyambala, Omangela, Okandon gwena, Onaayamba, Ondiikela and Omatunda,” Nehova said.With the remaining money, the committee bought building materials for the construction of a pre-school at Oshiko and for a Police station at Opoto, before closing the FNB account in 2005, Nehova said.”By the way, I am not recognising them as lawful leaders, because they were not elected by the people of Ongwediva Constituency, but have put themselves in power by force, and according to the law, they have no right to claim that they are legitimate elected leaders in that constituency, and therefore have no right to ask the money and the documents of Ongwediva constituency,” Nehova said.